Saturday, May 20, 2017

Bobby Grich, Rick Burleson, and Their One Full (Strike-Shortened) Season as a Dominant Double Play Combination

Grich & Burleson formed a dominant double play combination

Prior to the
1981 season, the California Angels acquired shortstop Rick Burleson from the
Boston Red Sox in a five-player deal.The
trade paired Burleson with second baseman Bobby Grich to give the Angels a dominant
double play combination.For several
seasons, Grich and Burleson had been two of the finest offensive and defensive
players at their respective positions.In
their first season together, Grich and Burleson had standout campaigns and,
with both signed to long-term contracts to play for the Angels, all signs
pointed to them becoming a formidable double play tandem for a number of
years.Unfortunately, the
strike-shortened 1981 campaign wound up being their only full season turning
double plays together as a series of injuries kept Burleson off the field and
prevented the duo from realizing its full potential.

Grich and Burleson were born in 1949 and 1951, respectively.Grich and Burleson each grew up just outside
of Anaheim.Grich was born in Muskegon,
Michigan but spent the majority of his childhood in Southern California.He went to high school in Long Beach, while
Burleson completed his education just about a half an hour north of his future
teammate in Downey.Grich grew up a fan
of the American League based Angels while Burleson supported the Los Angeles Dodgers
of the National League.Grich and
Burleson were both first round draft picks.Grich was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the nineteenth overall
pick in the June 1967 draft.Burleson
was snapped up by the Boston Red Sox with the fifth overall pick in the January
secondary phase of the 1970 draft.

Grich won 4 Gold Gloves with Baltimore

Grich played the majority of his minor league games as a shortstop but was
moved to second base when the Orioles traded their keystoner Dave Johnson to
make room for him.In 1973, Grich had
what is arguably the greatest fielding season ever for a second baseman,
leading AL keystoners in games played, putouts, assists, double plays turned,
fielding percentage, total zone runs, and range factor.Not only did Grich lead his second sacker
peers in every major fielding category, but with just five errors in 945
chances, his superb .995 fielding percentage set a major league record for
second basemen.Grich's fielding
excellence was recognized with his first of four consecutive Gold Glove
Awards.Flanked to his right by
defensive wizards Mark Belanger at short and Brooks Robinson at third, Grich
was part of one of the finest fielding infields in baseball history.The trio became the first second
base-shortstop-third base combination to each win the Gold Glove Award in the
same season--a feat they would accomplish not only in 1973 but in 1974 and 1975
as well.In addition to his stellar
glovework, Grich also contributed at the plate, putting up power and on base
numbers that were well above average for a second baseman.Grich played a significant role in helping
Baltimore win AL East Division titles in 1973 and 1974.Unfortunately, the '73 and '74 Orioles were
unable to advance to the World Series as they were defeated by the eventual
World Champion Oakland Athletics in the ALCS both times.

Following the 1976 season, Grich became part of the inaugural free agent
class.With his combination of power,
patience, and slick glovework, Grich was a highly sought after free agent.Grich spurned an offer of more money from the
New York Yankees and signed with the Angels, the team he had rooted for growing
up.California signed Grich to play
shortstop, his original position in the minor leagues.Unfortunately, Grich suffered an offseason
back injury carrying an air conditioning unit up a staircase, the effects of
which carried over into the season and cut his 1977 campaign short once he saw
he could no longer avoid having surgery.Grich returned in time for the 1978 season but was moved from shortstop
back to second base by the Angels.Grich
worked hard to rebound from the injury with a workout regimen focused on
weight-lifting.Grich's dedication paid
off in 1979 as the keystoner hit .294 with 30 home runs and 101 RBI to help the
Angels win the AL West for the first time.With his 30 round-trippers, Grich joined Rogers Hornsby, Joe Gordon, and
Dave Johnson as the only second baseman to reach the 30-home run plateau.Unfortunately, the Angels were defeated by
the Orioles in the 1979 ALCS before nose-diving to a 65-95 record in 1980.Grich was unable to replicate his dominant
1979 campaign but nevertheless put together a solid year, hitting .271 with 14
home runs and an impressive .377 OBP.

Burleson won a GG & set a DP record w/Boston

Burleson made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1974 and by
season's end was the club's everyday shortstop.Burleson played in a team-high 158 games for the Division-winning Red
Sox in 1975.He flourished in the
postseason, batting a stunning .444 against the three-time defending World
Series champion Oakland Athletics, whom Boston promptly swept in the ALCS.Burleson then hit .292 in the seven-game Fall
Classic in which the Cincinnati Reds narrowly edged out the Red Sox.Burleson didn't hit for much power but posted
strong batting averages in comparison to most shortstops as many of his peers
were of the "good glove, no hit" variety.Burleson particularly excelled at the plate
in 1976 and 1977, becoming the team's leadoff hitter while posting respective
batting averages of .291 and .293.Like
Grich, Burleson contributed on both sides of the diamond, regularly finishing
near the top of many key defensive categories.Burleson was recognized for his sterling glovework in 1979 when he was awarded
the AL Gold Glove.The following year,
Burleson set a major league record for shortstops that still stands when he
turned an incredible 147 double plays.Despite
setting the record, voters selected Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell over
Burleson for the AL Gold Glove.Nevertheless,
Burleson led all AL shortstops and held a significant advantage over his
Detroit counterpart in putouts (301 to 225), assists (528 to 412), and double
plays turned (147 to 89).Though, it is
likely Trammell's edge in fielding percentage and batting average over
Burleson--.980 to .974 and .300 to .278, respectively--played a role in the
vote.

Even though Boston relied on Burleson's defense at short, bat at leadoff, and
veteran leadership in the clubhouse, the franchise became embroiled in bitter
contract negotiations with their shortstop.When negotiations broke down following the 1980 season, Burleson was
packaged in a deal with third baseman Butch Hobson and sent to the Angels for
pitcher Mark Clear, outfielder Rick Miller, and third baseman Carney
Lansford.California quickly signed
Burleson to a six-year, $4.65 million contract.The trade represented a major upgrade at shortstop for the Angels, as
Burleson replaced the aging veteran platoon of Bert Campaneris and Freddie
Patek, each of whom struggled in 1980.California
had also played infield prospect Dickie Thon at shortstop towards the end of
the 1980 season but the youngster performed underwhelmingly at the major league
level and was used as a trade chip to bring in starting pitcher Ken Forsch from
the Houston Astros during the offseason.

The pairing of Grich and Burleson not only brought together two of the game's
best all-around players but also two of its fiercest competitors.Grich and Burleson were both known for their
intensity and determination to win--earning reputations as hard-nosed players,
not afraid to get their uniforms dirty.Umpire
Ron Luciano once said that Grich "always wore uniforms that looked like
'before' on detergent commercials."Early in his career Burleson was given the nickname "Rooster"
by Boston third base coach Don Zimmer one day during infield practice, who
remarked "with his hat off and his hair standing up, he looks like a
rooster walking around."The
nickname perfectly fit the shortstop and his aggressive style of play.
Contemporary infielder Alfredo Griffin recounted the complete game Grich
brought to the ballfield, "He had it all - a great glove, power, an
all-around game."Zimmer also
recognized Burleson's abilities on both sides of the diamond saying, "He
hits pretty well because he hits like he plays.He's a little bulldog up there."Future major leaguer Tim Salmon remembers Grich "as a real
no-nonsense player, really aggressive with high energy and high emotion."Former pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee
described Burleson's tenacious desire to win, "Some guys didn't like to
lose, but Rick got angry if the score was even tied."Lee, who was teammates with the fiery
shortstop on the 1975 Pennant winning-Red Sox also added that Burleson
"was very intense and had the greatest arm of any infielder I had ever
seen.The moment he reported to camp, he
brought a fire to the club that we had been lacking."Broadcaster Joe Garagiola said this of
Burleson, "He's even-tempered.He
comes to the ballpark mad and he stays that way."

California looked to rebound from an abysmal 1980 campaign in which the
combination of injuries to several key position players and a struggling
pitching staff resulted in a 65-win, sixth place finish in the AL West.Angels manager Jim Fregosi installed Burleson
as the number two hitter in the line up behind former MVP and perennial batting
champion threat Rod Carew.By contrast,
Fregosi wrote Grich's name into the eight-hole in the batting order, surprisingly
deep in the order for such an accomplished hitter.Baltimore manager Earl Weaver had generally
batted Grich second or third in the line up during the keystoner's time with
the Orioles, while occasionally moving him into a later spot.California initially used Grich as its number
two hitter during his first season with the club.However, midway through the following
year--with Grich struggling to bat .240 and slug .300 in his first months
returning from back surgery--the second sacker was moved to one of the bottom
two spots in the order.Nevertheless,
Grich excelled in the final month of the 1978 campaign and found that he
preferred hitting deep in the order as it allowed him to study the opposing
pitcher and learn their patterns and velocity.During his 30-home run 1979 season, Grich saw the majority of his plate
appearances come out of eighth in the order while also starting several games
batting sixth or seventh.In 1980, Grich
mostly hit sixth but also had a fair portion of starts come out of the
seven-hole.

After opening the season by taking three out of four games against the Seattle
Mariners, California was swept in a four game series at home by the Oakland
Athletics, who started the season 11-0.At
the end of April, the Angels ranked in fourth place with a 10-11 record,
already eight games behind the AL West leading A's.Grich and Burleson each finished April with
an OPS of .760--arriving at their totals in vastly different ways:Grich counteracted a lowly .215 batting
average with enough power and plate discipline to bring his OBP to an
acceptable .329 and slugging to a solid .431.Burleson, on the other hand, balanced his lack of power with an
impressive .298 batting average that enabled him to put up a sound .381
slugging percentage along with a high walk rate which jumped his OBP up to
.379.

Grich and Burleson each embarked on hitting streaks in the month of May.Between May 7 to May 22, Burleson hit safely in 15 consecutive
games, batting .375 with an .812 OPS during the streak.Most impressive about Burleson's streak was
the fact that the majority of it took place over the course of a ten-game road
trip.California went 9-6 during
Burleson's streak which briefly overlapped with Grich's hitting streak which
began on May 21.However, Grich's and Burleson's hot hitting
was not enough to move the Angels up the standings as the club struggled to
stay above .500 and gain ground on the AL West leading A's.After a homestand in which the Angels lost
five of six and dropped their record to 22-25, the club fired Fregosi and replaced
him with Gene Mauch.Mauch, a veteran
skipper with over 3,000 games managed, had been serving as California's
director of player personnel, a position he was hired for prior to the season.

Grich and Burleson continued to sizzle in the batter's box as the calendar
turned to June.Unfortunately, on June 6 in
the fifth inning of a 10-0 rout of Baltimore, Grich suffered a broken bone in
his left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Orioles reliever Steve
Luebber.The hand injury sent Grich to
the disabled list.Nevertheless, the
Angels continued to surge, with Burleson going deep off of Cleveland Indians
pitcher Bert Blyleven during a 4-3 victory on June 10 which brought California's record back above
.500.

Grich & Burleson were each strong all-around players

However, on June 12
the season grinded to a halt when the Major League Baseball Players Association
went on strike against the owners.The
major reason for the strike was to prevent the owners from implementing a
system by which clubs losing a star player to free agency would be compensated
with a player of comparable value.Blocking
the owners from enacting this change was crucial as a similar compensation
system used by the National Football League and National Hockey League had largely
stunted the growth of free agency in those sports.After decades of player salary and movement
being restricted by the reserve clause, the advent of free agency had swung the
balance of power away from ownership.Grich
and Burleson had each been beneficiaries of free agency, empowering them to
return to their Southern California roots by signing lucrative contracts with
the Angels.After almost two months of
cancelled games, the two sides came to an agreement to restart play with a
rescheduled All-Star Game on August 9 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.Burleson was named to the AL All-Star team as
a reserve and entered the game in the seventh inning."Rooster" fielded short flawlessly
and reached base in his sole plate appearance on third baseman Mike Schmidt's
error.Burleson then advanced to third
on Vida Blue's wild pitch but was left on base as the NL ultimately defeated
the Junior circuit, 5-4.

Games cancelled due to the strike would not be made up, which left most teams
with roughly a third of their season's contests never to be played.Moreover, the MLB decided to split the season
into two halves and crown divisional champions for each.California finished the first half in fourth
place with a 31-29 record, six games behind the Athletics who received an
automatic ticket to the postseason by being atop the AL West standings when the
labor dispute halted play.Prior to the
strike, Grich was in the process of putting together another solid campaign
with 6 home runs, 24 RBI, a .275 batting average, .385 OBP, .469 slugging
percentage, and .854 OPS in 50 games.Like
his double play partner, Burleson also wielded an impressive stat line with 3
home runs, 16 RBI, a .299 batting average, .364 OBP, .390 slugging percentage,
and .754 OPS.In addition, Burleson
started all 60 first-half games at shortstop.

When the MLBPA went on strike, no one knew how many games would be cancelled or
if the remainder of the season would be lost.Nevertheless, Grich and Burleson each spent the strike working out and
staying in shape, preparing for the resumption of play.Coincidentally, the timing of the strike
actually worked to Grich's favor as the slugging second baseman returned to
action when regular season play resumed on August 10, having only missed five games due to his
hand injury.Grich's and Burleson's hard
work to stay in playing shape during the labor dispute paid off as each had
phenomenal months of August.Grich
picked up where he left off before the hand injury, ripping 6 home runs in the
first eight games back from the strike--extending the hitting streak he started
on May 21
from thirteen games to twenty-one.New
manager Mauch took notice of Grich's hot hitting and moved the second sacker
into the heart of the order for the rest of the season, generally batting him
fifth.Grich finally went hitless in an August 20
win over Baltimore but managed to reach base on an error and drive Burleson in
to give California the go-ahead lead.Overall,
during Grich's 21-game hitting streak, the slugging keystoner dominated
opposing pitching with 7 home runs, a .440 batting average, and an astounding
1.304 OPS.In addition, Grich had also
flashed the leather during the hitting streak, making just one error during
that time--a harmless miscue in a May 23 blowout loss to the Chicago White Sox.Grich’s bat stayed hot after the streak was
over, finishing August with 10 longballs in just 19 games along with 20 RBI, a
.378 batting average, and 1.209 OPS.Burleson
also surged in August, batting .338 with a .405 OBP, and .837 OPS.However, the Angels failed to capitalize on
their double play duo's excellent play in August, tripping out of the gate in
the second half with losses in six of their first seven games before recovering
to a 9-10 record by the end of the month.

Going into the season's final month, no AL West team had broken away from the
pack and with the split season format all seven clubs had a chance at the
Division title--setting up a shootout atmosphere.Unfortunately, the Angels quickly fell out of
the race, dropping fourteen of fifteen games from September 5 to September 20.The California offense went cold during the
horrid 1-14 skid, scoring just 41 runs while the pitching staff surrendered 77
runs.Like most of the team, Grich
struggled during the team's slump, hitting a dismal .203.Burleson, on the other hand, excelled in the
batter's box during the club's difficult fifteen-game stretch, putting up a
potent .327/.424/.806 batting average/OBP/OPS line.Kansas City took the AL West second half
crown, going 30-23 after play resumed, while California's 20-30 record landed
them in the cellar.Grich regained his
hitting stroke in the last two weeks of the season to finish the second half
with 16 home runs and 37 RBI supported by a sensational .328 batting average,
.372 OBP, .604 slugging percentage, and .976 OPS.Burleson's post-strike numbers dipped
slightly in comparison to his strong first half, though the fiery shortstop
still hit a solid .286 with 2 home runs, 17 RBI, a .348 OBP, .349 slugging
percentage, and .697 OPS.

Grich tied for the AL lead with 22 home runs in 1981

The Angels finished the strike-shortened season with an overall record of 51-59
and .464 winning percentage, ranking them fifth best among the seven AL West
teams.Despite suffering a broken bone
in his left hand, Grich had one of the finest hitting campaigns ever for a
second baseman with 22 home runs, 61 RBI, a .304 batting average, .378 OBP,
.543 slugging percentage, and .921 OPS.Grich's
22 round-trippers tied him with Eddie Murray, Dwight Evans, and Tony Armas for
the AL lead--making him the first second sacker since Rogers Hornsby in 1925 to
sit atop his respective league leaderboard in longballs.Moreover, Grich's 22 home runs were more than
double that of any other major league second baseman with Frank White having the
next highest total of 9.In addition,
Grich's potent .543 slugging mark also led the AL while his overall .921 OPS
ranked second in the Junior circuit behind only Evans.Burleson also put together a fine offensive
season, batting .293, with a .357 OBP, .372 slugging percentage, .729 OPS, along
with 5 home runs and 33 RBI."Rooster"
also showcased his durability, tying for the AL lead with 109 games--a total
made even more impressive since he played all of his games at the demanding
position of shortstop.

Despite putting together excellent offensive seasons, Grich and Burleson were non-factors
in the AL MVP vote.The inability of the
Angels to contend for the AL West crown in either half of the strike-shortened
campaign undoubtedly cost California's keystone combination with the MVP
electorate as Grich finished a distant 14th in the election while Burleson failed
to receive a single vote.Although Grich
and Burleson were overlooked by AL MVP voters, the solid-hitting,
slick-fielding double play tandem were each recognized for their superb offense
with Silver Slugger Awards at their respective positions.

Grich and Burleson both lived up to their reputation as two of the game's best
all-around players with strong defensive campaigns to compliment their stellar
offense.Grich ranked in the top-five
among AL second basemen in several fielding categories including second in
double plays turned and range factor, third in assists, and fourth in
putouts.However, Grich made ten errors,
a total that tied him with four others for second highest among AL
keystoners.Seven of Grich's errors came
during a 19-game stretch between September 5 and 24.Grich's fielding slump ran almost parallel with the team's 1-14 September
skid, though just one of those errors--a ground ball miscue in a September 6
game against Cleveland which put California behind 1-0 in an eventual 2-0
loss--resulted in the opposing team taking a go-ahead lead which the Angels failed
to at least tie back up.Despite the
errors, Grich finished the strike-shortened season with a .983 fielding
percentage, slightly above the league average of .982.Yet, prior to his September slump, Grich
owned a stunning .993 fielding percentage which--had it been maintained--was
much higher than Rich Dauer's AL leading .989 mark.Like Grich, Burleson also displayed his
impressive defensive prowess--ranking in the top five among his shortstop peers
in several AL fielding categories.For
the second year in a row, Burleson ranked first among AL shortstops in putouts,
assists, and double plays turned."Rooster"
also placed second among Junior circuit shortstops in range factor and fourth
in fielding percentage.

Even though Grich and Burleson put together strong defensive campaigns, neither
were bestowed with the Gold Glove Award for their respective position as they
were passed over by voters in favor of Royals second baseman Frank White and Tigers
shortstop Alan Trammell.Grich and
Burleson led White and Trammell in most defensive categories and dominated them
offensively.However, the Angels dynamic
double play duo trailed White and Trammell in fielding percentage--a statistic
most Gold Glove voters placed a large value on at the time.Also, Gold Glove voters during this time
generally selected the same player each year.In fact, since Grich's brief move off second base during his
injury-shortened 1977 campaign, Gold Glove voters had honored White each year
so it was little shock the Kansas City keystoner won the award for the fifth
consecutive season while Trammell took home the hardware for a second year in a
row.Another factor which may have cost
Grich and Burleson support was the Angels failure to be a factor in either half
of the season's divisional race.By
contrast, White's Royals won the AL West in the second half and Trammell's
Tigers stayed in the hunt for the AL East until the final week of the season.

Grich's and Burleson's standout campaigns not only look solid through the
traditional statistics of the time but their excellence is also underscored by
advanced metrics used today.Grich
finished the strike-shortened season with a 5.4 WAR which ranked the
power-hitting second baseman fourth among AL position players, fifth in the
Junior circuit, and eighth overall in the MLB.In addition, Grich's superb .921 OPS ranked him second in the AL behind
only Dwight Evans' .937 mark while the keystoner's park adjusted 165 OPS+ put
him ahead of the Red Sox right fielder and atop the rest of the league.What's more, Grich's WAR and OPS+ totals were
so dominant among major league second basemen that the California keystoner led
his second sacker peers by significant margins in both categories with Lou
Whitaker's 3.8 WAR the next closest behind his 5.4 total and Tony Bernazard's
119 OPS+ the next best after Grich's 165 mark.Burleson's 4.5 WAR gave the shortstop the sixth highest mark among AL
position players, ninth best in his league, and placed him fourteenth overall
in the MLB."Rooster" also
looks strong in comparison to his defensive peers in advanced metrics, ranking
second among all major league shortstops in WAR and OPS+ with his respective
4.5 and 112 marks just behind the 4.9 and 114 totals of Robin Yount.

Following his outstanding season, Grich was eligible to become a free agent
again. Despite finishing 1981 with a poor record, the front office had no
interest in allowing their veteran second baseman to leave and play for another
team.Shortly after the conclusion of
the season, the Angels signed Grich to a lucrative, four-year contract
extension."There was never any
question of letting Grich get away", Angels general manager Buzzie Bavasi
said of the signing.Barring trade,
injury, or some other unforeseen consequence, Grich's contract extension
ensured the Angels franchise would keep their dominant double play duo
combination together through 1985.

A torn rotator cuff ended Burleson's '82 season

Unfortunately, the strike-shortened 1981 season wound up being Grich's and
Burleson's only full season turning double plays together.Burleson began to suffer from a sore right
shoulder during the following season's Spring Training.Burleson started receiving cortisone
injections for his ailing shoulder but only lasted in 11 games into the season
before he suffered a torn rotator cuff which required surgery and brought an
end to the shortstop's season.Grich
expressed shock and despair at Burleson's injury, "It's unbelievable.He's so vital to this team."Nevertheless, despite losing Burleson, Grich
and the Angels won the AL West Division crown with a 93-69 record.California took on the AL East champion
Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five ALCS.The Angels won the first two games before allowing the Brewers to even
the series and win the deciding fifth game.

Burleson finally made his return more than a year later on June 30, just before the 1983
All-Star break."Rooster"
initially looked strong in his return, picking up two or more hits in each of
his first seven games back.Unfortunately,
the gritty shortstop continued to be afflicted by right shoulder issues.After his strong start, Burleson struggled to
remain in the line up and went on the 15 day-disabled list in mid-August with
right shoulder stiffness.Burleson
briefly returned before packing it in for the rest of the season on September 8."Rooster" was back for the
following season's Spring Training but once again hit the disabled list when a
new tear was discovered in his right shoulder which kept him out of action
until September.Upon his return,
Burleson was solely used as pinch hitter and pinch runner.Once again disaster struck when Burleson
dislocated his right shoulder lifting weights during the offseason, sidelining
the injury-plagued veteran for the entire 1985 campaign.

Overall, Burleson made his way into just 51 games between 1982 and 1985.In Burleson's absence the shortstop position
was first filled by veteran Tim Foli and later by youngster Dick
Schofield.Foli and Schofield both
performed well on defense but neither were the strong two-way player Burleson
was, as both truly epitomized the "good glove, no hit" shortstop that
was commonplace of the era with sub-70 OPS+ marks.Following their Division title win in 1982,
the Angels team struggled with injuries and slumped to a 70-92 record in 1983
before rebounding with back-to-back second place finishes behind the Royals in
1984 and 1985.After his MVP-caliber
1981, Grich continued to put together solid campaigns with his combination
power and patience.Grich hit 19 home
runs with a .371 OBP for California's AL West-winning 1982 team.In 1983, Grich was enjoying one of his finest
seasons--with a .292 batting average and .414 OBP--when an errant pitch from
Yankees reliever George Frazier broke a bone in his right hand and brought a
premature end to his impressive campaign on August 28.As
he aged into his mid-thirties, Grich began platooning at the second with Rob
Wilfong during the 1984 and 1985 seasons while also filling a utility infielder
role by backing up Carew at first and DeCinces at third.In 1985, Grich once again set the fielding
percentage record with an incredible .997 mark with just two errors in 606
chances at the keystone.Coincidentally,
the man whose record he broke was his teammate Wilfong's, who had set the
record in 1980 as a member of the Minnesota Twins--eclipsing the mark Grich set
in 1973.Despite setting a new fielding
percentage record for second baseman, Grich was passed over for the AL Gold
Glove Award in favor of Tigers keystoner Lou Whitaker who was bestowed with the
honor for the third consecutive season.Grich's
record stood for a dozen years before it was just barely edged by Cincinnati
Reds second baseman Bret Boone whose only two errors came in 607 chances.

With his four-year contract set to expire after the 1985 season, Grich
considered retiring but instead chose to sign a one-year deal to remain with
the Angels.The 1986 campaign
represented the final season of the six-year pact Burleson signed following his
trade to California.After back-to-back
second place finishes with most of their line up well into their thirties and
several of their veteran players--including Grich and Burleson--eligible for
free agency at the end of the season, the 1986 Angels were dubbed "The
Last Chance Gang."Burleson
reported to Spring Training healthy much to the delight of Grich who stated,
"You won't find a player anywhere that plays with any more intensity.It just gives everybody a good feeling about
him being out there."With Grich at
age 37 and Burleson turning 35 a few weeks into the season, their time as a
dominant double play combination had passed and the veteran infielders started
just six games together as a tandem during the season.Nevertheless, Grich and Burleson were each
able to contribute as the Angels led the standings most of the season and
comfortably won the AL West Division with a 92-70 record.Grich shared second base with Wilfong while
also making pinch hit appearances and occasionally filling in at first for
rookie Wally Joyner while Burleson backed up Dick Schofield at short, Reggie
Jackson at DH, and also made a few starts at second and third base.Grich put up a 109 OPS+ on the strength of
his .354 OBP while Burleson made it through his first full season since the
strike-shortened 1981 campaign and chipped in with a .284 batting average and
107 OPS+.At season's end, Burleson was
named the United Press International Comeback Player of the Year.

Grich retired after an emotional ALCS loss to Boston

Unfortunately, there would be no "fairy-tale ending" for Grich,
Burleson, and the rest of "The Last Chance Gang" as the Angels were
defeated in seven games by the Boston Red Sox in an unforgettable ALCS.While Burleson quietly hit .273 in 11 plate
appearances, Grich had a dramatic ALCS with incredible highs and
heart-wrenching lows.Grich was the
victim of a base running miscue and made a costly error to be the goat of a Game
2 loss.However, he redeemed himself
with a game-winning, walk-off single in the 11th inning of Game 4 to put California
up three games to one.In the bottom of
the 6th of Game 5 with the Angels one victory away from their first World
Series, Grich hit a deep fly ball which popped out of the glove of Boston
center fielder Dave Henderson and over the fence for a 2-run homer to put
California ahead 3-2.An elated Grich
memorably leapt in the air to slap hands with teammate Doug DeCinces,
celebrating what appeared to be the game-winning drive to send the Angels to
the Fall Classic.However, Henderson
tied the game in the top of the 9th with a home run before driving in the
go-ahead Red Sox run with a sacrifice fly in the 11th.Grich had a chance to be the hero again with
two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th but his liner was snagged
by Boston reliever Steve Crawford for the third out.California dropped Games 6 and 7 to Boston in
lopsided fashion to lose the ALCS.At
the conclusion of Game 7, Grich announced his retirement.Burleson was not re-signed by the Angels and
inked a one-year pact with the Baltimore Orioles for 1987.Burleson was released by the Orioles on July 11
after hitting just .209 and subsequently retired.

In 1988, Grich became the first inductee into the California Angels Hall of
Fame.General manager Mike Port said of
the former second baseman, "I think it's fitting for Bobby Grich to be the
first inductee into our Hall of Fame.In
the 10 seasons he spent with the Angels, he ranked among the top 10 in most of
the club's all-time offensive records.That's an item of record.But the
attitude and the intensity he took across the white lines made Bobby Grich as
much as all the statistical accomplishments.In many ways, he was the ideal California Angel--not only in ability but
also in terms of intensity and the determination to win.Bobby Grich epitomized all of that."

Grich & Burleson were teammates for 6 season but rarely player together after 1981

Four years later
Grich became eligible for the BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.Despite his power numbers, fielding
accomplishments, and reputation as a gamer, Grich collected less than the five
percent minimum required to be included on future ballots.However in more recent times, Grich's
overlooked Hall of Fame case has become a cause celebre for the sabermetric
crowd who point to his 70.9 WAR, 125 OPS+, and .371 OBP--each of which are
higher than most second baseman in Cooperstown.One person who supports Grich's election is his former double play
partner Burleson.When asked by Three
Days of Cryin' during a 2009 interview which second baseman he played alongside
should have their number retired and be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Burleson
named Grich and added, "That was one of the things that was toughest about
my injury.I was really looking forward
to seeing what the two of us could have been together up the middle."

The pairing of Grich and Burleson brought together two of the game's most
passionate and finest all-around players to form a dominant double play
partnership.Grich and Burleson exceeded
expectations with outstanding performances in their first season together.Moreover, with Grich and Burleson each signed
to long-term contracts, the duo looked set to build on their strong initial
campaign together.Unfortunately,
Burleson's shoulder injuries robbed the tandem of their chance to become a
historically great double play combination.